The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (855 page)

 
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G
.

Jap. for
karma
.

 
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(Skt., ‘cow’).
Bos indicus
, in Hinduism, revered as the source of food and symbol of life. The cow became associated with the sacrificial rituals through its designation as the appropriate gift (
dak
in
) to the
brahmans
, and thus its sacred and inviolable nature became established: to kill a cow is equal to killing a brahman. The five products (
pañcagavya
) of the cow (milk, curds,
gh
ta
, urine, dung) are all used in
p
j
, worship.
The cultic worship of the cow takes place especially on the day of Gopastami, the ‘cow holiday’, when the cow is washed and decorated in the temple, and given offerings in the hope that her gifts of life will continue.

 
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